


Mr. Leroy Icicle

by storytelling-reader (storytelling_reader), storytelling_reader



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22089664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storytelling_reader/pseuds/storytelling-reader, https://archiveofourown.org/users/storytelling_reader/pseuds/storytelling_reader
Summary: You’re Clint Barton’s neighbor and babysitter, and you know all about his connections to the Avengers. When Steve Rogers comes knocking on the door when its almost Christmas looking for Clint, what do you do but let him in?
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

“Guys, who wants hot chocolate?” you called as Clint’s kids barreled through the door. “If you put your boots by the door, and your coats on the hook, I’ll give you five marshmallows!”

Lila and Cooper sprung into action, the entryway as clean as it had ever been. You set steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front of them, and counted out the marshmallows. “Hey, Y/N? May we please have some of your cookies?” Lila asked politely.

“Of course. Just don’t tell your dad where I hid them, or Laura will throw all of them out, and never let me make them again.” You smiled and took down a plate of cookies from a cabinet that Clint thought held only the best china dishes. Laura, of course, knew where they were, but as long as Clint didn’t know, she couldn’t care less. 

The doorbell rang suddenly, and Cooper immediately shot up to answer it. “Slow down, and finish your hot chocolate, or else Lila will steal your marshmallows. I’ll get it, Coop.” You ruffled his hair and started towards the door.

“Thanks for the warning,” Cooper called after you. You smiled to yourself as you pulled open the door.

“How may I help you?” you asked, a wary smile on your face.

“I’m looking for Clint.” A tall blonde man stood in the doorway, his shoulders broad and his face untrusting. “What are you doing in his house?”

“You must be Steve,” you realized as you recognized his face. “Please, come in. Laura and Clint went out for dinner. I’m the babysitter. You must be freezing.”

“You know who I am?” Steve’s face was still wary, even as he entered the house. 

“Yeah. Clint made sure I knew the faces of everyone who might come to look for him so that I wouldn’t toss you out on your asses.” You snagged Steve’s coat and hung it up on a hook. “There’s hot chocolate and marshmallows in the kitchen if you want some.”

“Sure.” Steve followed you into the kitchen, where his eyes immediately fell on Lila and Cooper, chattering away at each other as they stuffed their faces with marshmallows.

“Guys!” you sighed, “I thought that I could trust you not to eat all of the marshmallows!”

“Saw-wee,” the siblings chimed around the food. You shook your head in false disappointment. 

“Anyway, you guys know Steve, right?” 

“Hi, Steve!” Cooper waved.

Lila added, “Mommy and Daddy aren’t home right now, but you can wait for them with us. Y/N said that we could watch a movie if we were good.”

“Oh my god,” you breathed, pressing a hand to your mouth. “I am so sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself. I’m Y/N, Clint’s neighbor and babysitter.”

“You said the babysitter part already,” Steve chuckled, his wariness gone. “Its nice to meet you, and I’m sorry if I came off as untrusting but…”

“You can never know,” you broke in. “Don’t worry about it.” Lila and Cooper stood up silently and rinsed out their mugs before putting them in the dishwasher. 

“Can we watch Tangled?” Lila asked, her eyes wide.

You glanced over Lila’s shoulder at Cooper, who nodded after a moment, his face amused. “Of course, sweetheart. Come on.”

Within minutes of the DVD being put in, Lila was fast asleep, her head on your lap, and Cooper was typing away madly on his phone. Steve, meanwhile, was completely engrossed in the movie, his forehead creasing in confusion when Eugene showed up at Rapunzel’s tower. “That is so unlikely it isn’t even funny.”

“Its a movie, Steve. Thats the point,” you pointed out. Just as Steve was about to open his mouth to say something else, the door banged open and Clint burst in.

“I know there are cookies somewhere in this house, Y/N. And you’re gonna tell me where they are.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Clint. And you have a guest.” You gestured to Steve, who stood up.

“Clint!” Laura hissed as she walked in. “Lila is asleep! Whatever you do, do not wake her up. And don’t forget what the doctor said about the cookies.” Laura took Lila from you gratefully, and Cooper followed her upstairs. 

“Well, I see that you met Y/N.” Clint paused. “Do you know where she hid the cookies?” Steve shook his head in confusion. “Dammit. Okay, okay. Why are you here?”

“We need you to come to the Tower,” Steve informed Clint, his blue eyes serious. 

“Steve, its Christmas soon. I can’t just leave my family.” Clint sighed.

“What if they went to the Tower with you?” you suggested, your Y/E/C eyes watching the situation unfold.

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked, whirling to face you. 

You shrugged noncommittally. “Clint told me about everything so that I would know what is happening if someone came here trying to kill us. Its no biggie. I can keep a secret.” 

Steve could only stare at you with an open mouth. 

Clint reached over and closed his jaw for him.

“Besides, Nat comes over too much for me to not know something is going on.” You bared your straight teeth in a smile that, although almost feral, was also completely genuine.

Finally, Steve managed to snap out of his state of shock. 

“And Y/N would come with us, of course. She was already going to spend Christmas with us anyway.” Clint slung an arm around your shoulder, his face creasing with happiness. 

“Seriously?” Steve asked cautiously.

“Its not like I have anything else to do. And I already have everything that I need, since I was going to stay here anyway.” You glanced up at him for a moment before turning back to the TV.

“Then its settled!” Clint cheered. “All I have to do now is convince Laura. The kids will be easy, and if I get them on my side then it will be that much harder for her to say no.”

You and Steve rolled your eyes in unison. “Ain’t that the truth,” you muttered under your breath, just loud enough for Steve to catch it. He snorted, and Clint spun around, his eyes trained suspiciously on yours.

“He knows where the cookies are, doesn’t he?” he accused.

You sighed, rolling your eyes slightly. “No, Clint, he doesn’t. Go ask Laura and the kids if they want to go to the Tower for Christmas.”

Clint glared at both of you suspiciously, but padded out of the room to find Laura.


	2. Getting Settled

You trailed after Clint. Much to your surprise, Laura and the kids had chosen to stay back at the farmhouse, but Laura had insisted that the team needed Clint, and sent you with him to make sure that he didn’t eat too much. Steve fell into step with you, which caused you to raise a brow in surprise. 

“What?”

“It can’t be easy for you to be walking at this speed. I am considerably shorter than you, which means shorter legs and shorter strides.” You glanced sidelong at Steve, your Y/E/C eyes amused. 

“I see.” Steve nodded. “I’m guessing that you don’t need any introductions, seeing as Clint made sure that you knew who we all were.”

“Yeah.” As they turned a corner, you jumped. All of the Avengers were lounging in one room, chattering comfortably with one another. Nat was the first to look up.

“Y/N!” she squealed, leaping up.

“Nat!” In one fluid movement, you dumped your bag on the floor and launched yourself at the red haired assassin, who caught you easily, wrapped up in a hug. “How are you? You haven’t come by in ages!”

“I know, but some people,” Nat paused to glare at the others, “just can’t seem to take care of things long enough for me to take a break and visit you.”

“Well, make sure to stop by soon,” you told her, making eye contact.

“Of course,” Nat promised. Finally, she pulled away, but kept an arm slung around your shoulder as you turned to face the others. “You already know who everyone is, so we don’t have to get into that. Clint does get a good idea once every few millennia.”

“I heard that,” Clint called as he burst in. 

“Well its true.” Nat shot him an amused glance. “Everyone, this is Y/N. She is Clint’s neighbor and babysitter, my little sister and best friend, and the coolest person you will ever meet. She already knows about you guys, and about pretty much everything else, including but not limited to SHIELD and HYDRA, our little spitting match, Ultron, and our varying abilities, so don’t worry about introducing yourselves and all that. You can trust her with your life, and also just with everyday stuff like where we hide to cookies so that Clint won’t eat all of them. Speaking of which, Y/N is like, the most amazing cook you will ever meet. Cookies, cakes, bacon, steak, you name it, she can cook it, and it will be amazing.” You gave an awkward wave. 

“Where should I put my stuff?”

“I can show you to a spare room we have,” Steve offered. You shot him a grateful smile and ducked out from under Nat’s arm, grabbing your bag on your way out of the room. When you were gone, there was dead silence.

“What?” Nat and Clint asked in confused harmony.

Sam was the first to speak. “Nothing, just…why did you tell her about us?”

“Its not like its some big secret,” Nat replied, raising her eyebrows.

“Not to mention the fact that she babysits my kids. If one of our enemies were to go after them, she would be caught in the crossfire, with no way of knowing what the hell is going on, or who to trust,” Clint added, his face becoming more serious. Nat nodded in agreement. 

“She’s certainly hot,” Tony commented. He immediately held up his hands in defense when both Nat and Clint pinned him with glares that could very well kill. “Sorry, sorry, never mind, forget I said anything.”

Wanda spoke after a moment of silence. “Did she really have nothing better to do than come and see us?”

“Actually, it was Laura who pushed her to come. Otherwise she would have just stayed back at the farm with the kids, making them cookies and hiding them all from me when I got back.” Clint shrugged, but his eyes glowed slightly when he started to think about the aforementioned cookies. Wanda nodded in understanding, even more so when Clint opened the memory to her. 

Slowly, people began to trickle out of the room, heading off to do their own thing. “Wanda,” Nat called, quickly catching up with the mind reader. “Want to help me help Y/N settle in? I got the feeling that this is a bit much for her to take in all at once. Plus I think that the two of you will get along spectacularly.”

“Okay,” Wanda agreed hesitantly. A smile lit on Nat’s face, and she grabbed her hand eagerly, dragging her along to the room where Steve had brought you.  
Nat dropped Wanda’s hand to knock sharply on the door. 

A frazzled you answered it. “I can’t find anything,” you half-whispered, half-whined when you saw them. Wanda let out a giggle, and Nat smiled at you.

“I couldn’t either, when I first got here. Need some help?” Wanda offered.

“Please.” Without any further ado, you grabbed Wanda’s hand and yanked her into the room, drawing a startled shriek out of her. A grinning Natasha followed you into the room, closing the door as she did. 

Within a half an hour, Wanda had helped you figure out where everything was, and the three of you were collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles.

After a moment, Wanda managed to catch her breath, and asked, “So Nat said that you could cook?”

“Oh, yeah, that.” You flapped a hand. “She exaggerated greatly. I’ll bake if I’m bored or angry or sad, or someone asked me to make something for them. I’ll cook normal food when its time for a meal, especially if theres a big group. I’ve been doing it for so long that I just happen to have gotten really good at it.” You shrugged. “Why, you want me to make you something?”

“I’m alright for now, thank you.” Wanda smiled. “But it was very generous of you to offer.”

“Well, I’m going to make stuff anyway, so if you want some just let me know. I can’t just leave things out, since Clint will literally eat all of it and his doctor has explicitly stated several times that we can’t just leave stuff out because he has no self control and will eat every last crumb. I just hide it instead, and tell everyone except him where it is.” You jumped off the bed. “Besides, Christmas is coming up, so I am going to make stuff for that.”

“Oh…” Wanda smiled at that. “Maybe I could lend a hand, if you need one?”

“There can never be too many hands in a kitchen,” you quipped. 

“Nat, you want to help?” Wanda offered.

“Oh, Nat never helps. She just watches, offers conversation, and steals way more dough than is healthy.” You smiled. “Come on, we can make some now, if you want.”

“Really?” Wanda asked hopefully.

“I don’t see why not, so long as we have all of the ingredients,” you replied, tying back your Y/H/C hair in a loose braid. “Let’s go.”

The three girls trekked through the building to the kitchen. Soon enough, delighted laughs were coming from the kitchen, as well as the occasional shriek of joy. Just as you were taking out another batch of cookies from the oven, someone walked into the kitchen.

“Don’t you guys ever sleep?” asked a half-asleep Bruce.

“Sorry,” you whispered, setting the cookies out to cool. “You guys go to bed. I’ll finish up in here and clean up, and then head up to bed myself.”

“You sure?” Wanda asked, concern lacing her voice. You just pointed, and Wanda laughed a bit. “Alright, alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.” You waved your goodbye as Wanda walked out. Nat pulled you into a hug before she headed out herself.

“See you in the morning, înger,” she murmured. “And make sure that you hide those cookies well enough that Clint can’t find them.” With a gentle kiss to your forehead, Nat walked out as well. 

“Night, Bruce. Sorry for waking you up,” you called after the scientist.

“Its alright, Y/N. Just as long as I get a cookie.”

“Knock yourself out,” you invited, sweeping a hand toward the plate of cookies. 

“Thank you,” Bruce said quietly, taking a couple of cookies before leaving. You shot a smile after him as he left, before jumping headfirst into the cleanup.


	3. Coffee

You woke up suddenly, your heart in your throat and beating a hundred miles a minute. You scanned the room quickly, and calmed when you remembered that you and Clint were spending the holiday in the Tower with the rest of Clint’s colleagues. 

You swung your legs out of the bed, and made your way over to where you had stored your clothes. Pulling out a pair of dark blue jeans and a black long sleeve shirt, you shimmied into them quickly before making your way downstairs to the common area. Already, Rhodey, Sam, Bucky, and Steve were up and about. 

“Morning,” you said quietly, snagging a mug of coffee that was resting on an end table. Taking a sip, you made a face. “Who actually drinks coffee with this much sugar?”

“I do, thank you very much,” Steve claimed, reaching for the drink from his seat on the couch. 

You stuck your tongue out and continued to take sips of it, your face scrunched up in distaste.

“Why are you still drinking it if you don’t like it?” Bucky asked softly.

“Its still coffee. Is Clint up yet?” When the four shook their heads, you leaned forward and put a finger over your lips. “Don’t tell him what I’m about to tell you, or you are the ones who are going to have to answer to Laura. The cookies are in the bottom left cabinet under the sink, inside of the giant pot.”

“Cookies?” Sam repeated, a smile on his face.

“Yes, cookies. Clint isn’t allowed to have any.” You took the last sip of coffee and handed Steve the mug. “Don’t use as much sugar in your coffee next time, it dilutes the caffeine. Anyway, don’t give Clint any cookies. He might get diabetes if he eats any more.”

“When did you make cookies?” Rhodey asked in confusion.

“Last night. We accidentally woke Bruce up, but he was very polite, and simply asked us to go to bed, rather than hulking out and attempting to kill us.” You shrugged and picked up Sam’s cup of coffee from the table.

“Yo, stop stealing people’s coffee,” Sam exclaimed.

“See, now Steve, you should take a page from Sam’s book. He knows how to drink coffee.” You took a large gulp from the cup as Steve looked down into his empty mug. “And I’m not stealing your coffee, I’m borrowing and drinking it.”

Rhodey chuckled as he shook his head at your answer to Sam. Bucky didn’t say anything as you finished Sam’s coffee and handed the mug back to Sam, but he did pick up his own mug and simply hold it closer to himself. Rhodey did the same, and you frowned at them. “You know, for superheroes, you guys aren’t very generous.”

Steve laughed at you just as Bruce walked in. “The cookies were very good, Y/N. Thank you for sharing.”

“I heard the word cookies,” Clint chirped, poking his head into the room.

“It doesn’t matter, Birdy, you ain’t gettin’ any,” you drawled, your mouth curving into a grin. 

“Don’t make me beg, Y/N.”

“I don’t think you have it in you, Clint.”

“Maybe not, but I definitely have enough on you to blackmail you.” Clint crossed his arms in satisfaction.

“Maybe so, but I definitely know too much about what you do on your farm for you to try that.” You slumped into the couch, a shit-eating grin on your face. Clint gasped.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Clint slumped in defeat, only then noticing the faces Sam and Steve were making. “She steal your coffee?”

“Is it a normal thing for her to do that?” Sam screeched.

“Do what?” Tony yawned as he walked in, his clothes askew.

“Steal people’s coffee,” Steve answered, still looking at his cup in confusion. You didn’t say anything, simply draping your legs over Steve’s as you stretched out on the couch so that you were lying horizontally.

“You’re a coffee thief?” Tony asked, his voice offended.

“Yes, she is.” Clint frowned at your offending person, which was fully reclined on the couch. “She is also a selfish cookie hoarder.”

“That I am not,” you hissed, surging up into a sitting position and jabbing a finger in Clint’s direction. “I share my cookies. Just not with you, because that is what your doctor said, and Laura threatened to do me bodily harm if I gave you cookies. I don’t feel like being the reason your lovely wife is arrested, and your adorable kids have no mother.” Clint stuck out his tongue and her, just as Pietro breezed in. 

“What did I miss?” His face was the picture of confusion, and in his hands was a steaming mug of coffee, which your eyes locked onto.

“Look out!” Clint blurted, just as you launched yourself at Pietro, somehow managing to steal his coffee and wind up back on the couch before he could react and without spilling a drop. Immediately, you began to drink, your face twisting.

“You’re even worse than Steve, and thats saying something,” you said before taking another sip. “What is it with you people and your sugar?”

All the men in the room exchanged confused glances just as Natasha breezed in, two mugs of coffee in her hands, with Wanda hot on her heels. Vision followed Wanda from a respectful distance, his eyes locked on her. You smiled in satisfaction as you finished Pietro’s coffee and practically chucked the mug back to him. 

“No sugar, no milk, pure caffeine,” Nat recited, handing a mug to the Y/E/C eyed, Y/H/C haired caffeine fiend. 

“I love you, Nat.” You practically inhaled the cup of coffee, wordlessly exchanging it with Nat as soon as you were done.

“That is your sixth cup of coffee this morning,” Bucky pointed out quietly from his position by the door. 

“It would have been my seventh, but you wouldn’t share.” Natasha patted your legs, and you moved them long enough for the red head to sit down on the couch next to you. 

“I have never met a single person who drinks as much coffee as this one,” Nat explained. “And for such a small person, she can pack in the food, too.”

“She would never stop drinking coffee if she could, but after a while, we cut her off,” Clint added. “As Laura likes to say, she hides the cookies, we hide the coffee beans.”

“It certainly suits me. I’d actually kill someone for a cup of coffee,” you commented.

“Even me?” Nat asked offendedly.

“Even if I was capable of killing you, which I’m not, you wouldn’t let me get that far. You’d just find me a cup of coffee,” you pointed out.

“Is that how you could stay up so late without getting tired?” Wanda guessed.

“Eh.” You shrugged. “I don’t really get tired, even when I haven’t had a lot of coffee, or I use a lot of energy.”

Nat rolled her eyes, and was about to say something else when Tony glanced down at his phone and announced, “We’d better head out. Its almost time.”

Everyone in the room began to mobilize immediately, flowing around you like a well-oiled machine. Bucky stayed in his seat, watching you with amusement as you watched them curiously.

“They have a mission,” he informed you, moving over to the couch. He saw your eyes fix on his coffee and shook his head disapprovingly. “This is my coffee. I’m not sharing.”

You rolled your eyes. “Fine. Is everyone going besides you?”

“Yeah, and Vision and Wanda are staying here, too. They need everyone else. Thats all that I can tell you, Y/N.” Bucky gave you a stern look.

“I know. I don’t have any kind of clearance, I’m not an idiot.” You cocked your head and met Bucky’s eyes mischievously. “Wanda and Vision are going to be busy for a while, I’m guessing. What kind of trouble do you think that we can get into while the others are on the mission?”


	4. Bandages

You threw your chess piece at Bucky just as FRIDAY announced, “Mr. Stark and the others have returned from their mission. Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanoff have mild concussions, and –”

You were up and moving before FRIDAY could finish, headed straight to the infirmary, with Bucky hot on your heels. You burst into the infirmary, your eyes searching the room. You immediately focused on Nat’s bright red hair, and sprinted to her side. 

“What happened?” you demanded. “Are you okay?”

“Y/N, we’re fine,” Nat assured you as you glanced over both her and Clint. 

“We just got knocked around a bit,” Clint affirmed, already in a sitting position on his bed. “What else can you expect?”

You perched on the foot of Nat’s bed, fixing your eyes on hers. “What happened?”

Nat sighed and shot a glance at Clint, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. “We had to infiltrate a Hydra base. They got their hands on one of Stark’s arc reactors. We were tasked with getting it back. Clint and I went in on the ground with Rogers, and we took most of the hits while he got in to find the reactor.”

“We took them out,” Clint continued, in the way that only someone who had known Nat for years could. “But what no one knew was that the shifts were just about to change. The shift change caught us slightly off guard. We had used more energy on the first group than we would have if we had known about the second group.”

“They landed a few good hits,” Nat took over. “But we managed. We got them, we got out.” She laid her hand over yours. “înger, we are fine. We’re here. We’re safe.”

You nodded, slightly reassured. Nat and Clint, both noticing your worry, tried to cheer you up with happy chatter, but nothing worked. You wouldn’t stop watching them with concern. Finally, Nat sighed. 

“If you aren’t going to smile, get out. Bring back some cookies or something. Anything. But not until you can smile at me without looking like you’ve stepped on a rusty nail.”

You stood up silently, and padded over to the door. Bucky stayed where he was, seated next to Nat. You turned, your eyes dull, and murmured, “Feel better soon. It won’t be Christmas if you guys can’t celebrate.”

Then you walked out of the room, and kept walking, eventually ending up outside of Steve’s door. That was when you realized that everyone else had, at some point, poked their head into the infirmary, with the exception of Steve. You knocked on his door immediately.

“Who is it?” Steve asked. You could tell that something was wrong just from his voice.

“Its Y/N. I’m coming in.” You didn’t wait for his response, opening the door swiftly. The sight that greeted you was not good.

Steve was sitting on the floor next to his bed, doing his best to stitch up a large gash on his abdomen. You sprinted to his side and carefully pried his hands away. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to stitch you up properly. What the hell happened? And why aren’t you healing? I thought you were a super soldier or something.” You stitched the wound efficiently, then carefully wiped away his blood with a towel.

“I just got a glancing blow. I’ll be fine. And I am a super soldier. I just can’t heal from wounds like this in minutes, and stitches never hurt.” Steve glanced at you. “I would have thought you’d be with Clint and Nat.”

“I was,” you admitted, leaning on the bed next to him. “But Nat told me to leave when I wouldn’t smile.”

“And you weren’t smiling because?”

“Because any one of you could have died, Steve!” You turned to look at him. “Any one of you could have died on this mission, and you would have left so many people behind, and I get that thats what you do, but this is just-” Your voice cracked slightly, and Steve’s entire demeanor seemed to melt.

He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you into a hug. “Its okay,” he murmured soothingly. “It can be hard to see it first hand,” he agreed. “But we wouldn’t have died, because you’re right, we would be leaving a lot of people behind.”

You nodded slightly, and wriggled your body so that you were more comfortably draped across Steve, careful not to poke his wound at all. “I’m glad you’re okay,” you admitted softly.

“Yeah, me too,” Steve said drily. He shifted slightly. “How did you learn to do stitches so well?”

You huffed in amusement. “Clint usually comes home all beat up. Sometimes he needs a few stitches here and there. Same with Nat. Those two are worse than a pair of cage fighters.” You paused, thinking. “Actually, they might do that sometimes.”

“They cage fight?” Steve asked incredulously.

“Well, it would make sense. Clint thinks its a great way to practice hand-to-hand, and Nat just loves burning toxic masculinity.” You shrugged.

Steve sighed. “How is that not surprising?”

“Well, you’ve met them, so…” you pointed out.

“True, true.” Steve smiled at you as you dozed off to sleep mid-conversation, your head resting on his shoulder.


	5. Decorating

“You’re looking better,” Wanda commented, taking in Steve, who was walking comfortably across the room, you a few steps in front of him.

“Its all thanks to Y/N,” Steve replied.

You took a mock bow before taking the seat next to Wanda. “So how do you guys celebrate Christmas around here? And where are Scott, Peter, and T’Challa?” 

“Scott is visiting his daughter, T’Challa is in Wakanda, and Peter is at school.” Bucky summarized quickly and succinctly. “And we don’t exactly celebrate. Its more like we get a tree and then Tony gets drunk, so we all go to bed early.”

You frowned. “Well, we should try to get those three here, and see if Scott wants to bring his daughter. In the meantime, you three are going to help me make this a proper Christmas, and I’ll see if I can rope in Clint and Nat.”

“I might be able to convince Pietro to help us,” Wanda offered.

“And Sam has expressed an interest in celebrating properly,” Steve added.

“Bruce will probably want to help, as will Thor,” Bucky informed them.

“Great! Anyone who we can get to help, will. And we should see if we can get Fury, Coulson, and Maria here as well. And Thor has a girlfriend, right? See if she wants to come.” You rocketed to your feet. “Tree first. We need a car, some rope, and money.”

An hour and a half later, you were flinching as Steve and Bucky attempted to maneuver the tree into the building. “A little bit more this way, no not like that.”

Finally, Wanda manipulated the tree through the door, and into the living room, where you were planning on setting it up. “That was not as easy as I thought it would be,” Steve admitted. Bucky nodded his agreement.

“Yeah. But we did it. Now we need to make eggnog, and then we’ll be all set to decorate the tree,” you proclaimed. 

While Wanda and Bucky sought out the other Avengers, as well as Pepper, you sent Steve to find where Tony hid the decorations, and you made a large batch of eggnog. “Great!” you exclaimed upon reentering the living room. “Everyone is here. Take some eggnog, and then we’ll get to decorating.” Noticing the fire that was roaring in one corner, you smiled appreciatively at Clint, who was dusting off his hands. Steve had found several boxes worth of decorations, and you quickly paired people off.

“Wanda, Vision, you take this box. Tony, Pepper, that one. Clint, Nat, take the one on top. Sam, Rhodey, that one on the left. Bucky, Bruce, the one on the right. Thor, Pietro, bottom left. Steve, you and I will take bottom right. Guys, actually put some effort into this, okay? I want this to be perfect, especially if Scott and Cassie can make it. Thor, I’ve invited Jane, and she said that she was going to bring a friend, someone named Darcy? Apparently she tasered you. I have also reached out to Director Fury, Agent Coulson, and Agent Hill. Stark, if you could invite Peter, that would be amazing.” You clapped your hands together. “Okay, ready? Go!” When no one made a move, you added, “Best pair gets a batch of fresh cookies of their choice!” That spurred everyone into action, and almost immediately, several arguments broke out.

You and Steve claimed your box without much trouble, and opened it to find various items. “What are these?” he asked in confusion.

“Looks like a pair of candelabras, and some snowflakes and such.” You snapped her fingers, an evil grin on your face. “I know what we should do.”

Two hours later, you had a spectacular display on the mantle.The candelabras were across from each other, lovely red and white candles ready and waiting to be lit. Around the base were several sprigs of holly and other greenery. The snowflakes were scattered artfully around the mantle, and Steve had unearthed a pair of stuffed polar bears and a penguin, which you had immediately snatched up and placed in the center. A fake wreath was mounted on the wall, and you had found some stockings at the bottom of the box. Steve had put them up carefully, making sure that there was an equal distance between each one, and taking the time to handwrite some labels so that people knew whose was whose. 

By the time everyone was congregated together again, it had begun to snow outside, as was easily seen from the large window on one wall. When the doorbell rang, you quietly excused yourself, leaving the Avengers chattering happily about what they had managed to accomplish. “Hi!” you chirped, pulling open the door. 

“Hi, um, I’m-“

“Scott. Scott Lang. I’m Y/N,” you said politely, offering your hand for a handshake. “And you must be Cassie!” You crouched down so that you were at eye level with the cute little brunette girl. 

“I’m so happy to finally meet you. Would you like to come in?” Cassie nodded shyly, and you smiled.

“I’m sorry, this is going to come out wrong, but who are you?” Scott asked as they walked with you through the hallway.

“Oh, I’m Clint’s neighbor back home. I babysit for him a lot, and Laura insisted that I come with him and keep an eye on him. He had already told me about everyone, so I’m not that surprised to see everyone here.” You shrugged, and pointed to the living room. “They’re in here.”

Immediately upon entering the room, hugs and happy greetings broke out between Scott and the Avengers. Cassie watched almost shyly from the doorway. “Hey, Cassie, I have something for you,” you told her, offering her your hand, which the little girl took.

Leading her over to the mantle, you scooped up Cassie so that she could see it. “You want to grab that penguin for me?” you asked gently.

Cassie reached out and took the fluffy penguin. “What’s his name?”

“Well, I don’t know. He never told me. He did tell me that he was waiting for a sweet little girl your age to come along, who would love him and protect him. Is that you?” you asked, your Y/E/C eyes full of laughter.

Cassie nodded eagerly, and held the penguin closer to her ear for a few seconds. “He says his name is Mr. Leroy Icicle, but he wants me to call him Leroy. He also says that he does like you, just he doesn’t trust adults.”

You made an understanding noise. “Well, I must agree with him on that part. Not all adults can be trusted. Although I think that your dad can. Do you want to introduce him to Leroy?”

Cassie nodded excitedly, and you set her down so that she could run to her father. 

“You certainly have a way with kids,” Steve commented, walking up to you. 

“What can I say? Kids are the best people out there. They aren’t mean for the sake of being mean, they forgive easily, they are innocent to the ways of the world, they have the most wonderful imaginations, and they are really freaking cute.” You shrugged, a smile on your lips as Scott bent to talk to his daughter, not noticing the smile Steve had on his face as he looked at you.


	6. The Tree

You were practically hopping with energy, Cassie alongside you. It was Christmas Eve day, and in just a few hours, you would be decorating the Christmas tree, and baking lots of cookies and other treats. In the meantime, though, the two of you had to content yourselves with games. You walked around the Tower together, managing to annoy more than a few people (except Bucky and Bruce. You played games, and Bucky let Cassie braid his hair, while Leroy looked on, and Bruce made a small pair of wire glasses for Leroy, since Cassie admired his so much, and said that Leroy wanted a pair). You even managed to pull a prank on Clint, telling him that you had made a batch of cookies early, just for him, when in fact, they were health bars cut into the shape of cookies.

Finally, the time had arrived. You and Cassie called all of the Avengers into the living room, and stood in front of them like you were the commanders of an army. Nat, Wanda, and Pepper joined them, standing in front of the male Avengers. 

You started. “Now, gentlemen, we have an action packed evening ahead of us. We have received communications informing us that our other guests will not be here right away, but will be here today. In the meantime, we will be getting started. Cassie?”

“We are going to make yummy food and decorate the Christmas tree!” she announced proudly, holding Leroy at her side.

“We are all going to make treats first, so that we can eat them while we decorate,” Pepper told them. “Y/N has several recipes, and we will all be pitching in.”

“If you don’t help to make them, you can’t have any,” Nat declared. “Except for me. I don’t cook, but I will still be eating the food.”

Wanda spoke next. “We need to follow Y/N’s instructions, or else the goodies will not turn out as well. I’m sure that by now we’ve all had a chance to sample her cookies, and rest assured that the rest of her recipes taste every bit as good.”

“To the kitchen!” Cassie proclaimed, holding Leroy aloft with one hand and clutching your hand with her other as she led the way.

You managed to get several batches of cookies done, when you felt an egg splat against your back. You turned slowly, your eyes fastening on Pietro, who was doing his best to look innocent.

You screeched. “This means war, you Sokovian whelp!” You snatched up a handful of flour and threw it at Pietro, who easily dodged it. Of course, that meant that it blew up directly in Tony’s face.

“Food fight!” he yelled, running towards the ingredients. Screams and laughs broke out all over the kitchen, teams forming and breaking as quickly as could be.

At one point, it was you, Cassie, Scott, and Clint on a team, the next, all the women had teamed together to defend Leroy, who was under heavy fire from the opposition, then it was you, Cassie, Steve, and Bucky. You barely heard the doorbell ring, but hear it you did, so, after taking the brunt of the latest attack, you managed to escape the kitchen. 

You answered the door, a large grin on your face and raw ingredients completely covering you. “Hi!”

“…hi,” was a brown-haired woman’s cautious reply. Over her shoulder, another woman peeked out.

“Food fight?” she asked hopefully.

“Yep. You guys are Jane and Darcy, right?” You panted, slowly regaining your breath.

“That’s us,” Darcy agreed. “By the way, there are some grouchy looking agents coming up the driveway, so just warning you.” She barely pulled out of the way as a red blur passed in front of them, a scream coming from it as it did.

“And you must be Peter.” You shook your head at the boy who had overshot, landing in a snowbank just outside the door. He gave you a sheepish grin and a wave. “Oh, good, everyone is here,” you cheered as Fury, Coulson, and Maria came up to the door. “Come on in. There’s a food fight in the kitchen, just to warn you.”

Coulson laughed, and pulled you into a hug. “Right now, the only way to tell that its you is your eyes, you know.”

“Oh, why thank you.” You curtsied to the SHIELD agent. “Its been too long.” Then you jogged to the kitchen and hollered, “Everyone is here! Stop throwing food, clean yourselves up, and meet in the living room!” Immediately, all flying food ceased, and people hurried to their rooms. Before you followed suit, you pulled together all of the cookies and other foods that you had managed to make before the food fight broke out. Then you swept up most of the ingredients into a dust pan and wiped down the counter so that the kitchen was actually pretty clean, and no bugs would try to clean up for you.

Then you hurried to your room, where you pulled on a bright red long sleeved shirt, with dark jeans, and carefully brushed out your hair before tossing it up into a ponytail. You arrived in the living room just as everyone else trickled in. “Okay, so everyone knows everyone already, right?” When everyone nodded, you smiled happily. “Good. Now, we are going to be decorating the Christmas tree this evening. There is eggnog in the kitchen, as well as all the goodies we made. I’ll be bringing that out, and we’ll listen to some Christmas songs. This is supposed to be peaceful, so no more fights, food or otherwise. And Cassie trumps all of you, so if she wants something moved, it is.” 

Cassie cheered, and then hurried over to you to make her own announcement.

“Everyone, this is Mr. Leroy Icicle. He is a penguin, and he doesn’t like most adults, but he told me that he likes you guys. He really likes Y/N’s strawberry jam thumbprint cookies, so if he asks for one, please give him one.”

“Also, Cassie,” you explained, picking up the girl, “will have the honors of putting on the tree topper, so none of you are allowed to do that. Tony, Pietro, I’m looking at you.” A round of chuckles circled the room, and people got up to take ornaments and put them on the tree. You set Cassie down. “Why don’t you help with the tree, and I’ll get the food. I’ll make sure to grab some strawberry jam thumbprint cookies for Leroy.” Cassie nodded and hurried to the tree, while you went to the kitchen.

As you loaded up a tray of cookies, with a pitcher of eggnog and some glasses, Scott came in. “Hey, Scott.”

“Hey Y/N. I just wanted to say thank you for being so great with Cassie. She adores the penguin you gave her, and you helped to make this transition much easier for her. Normally she doesn’t really like new people, so this is huge.” Scott let out a breath. 

“Scott, really, its been my pleasure. Cassie is a perfect angel.” You picked up the tray carefully. “Do you mind grabbing that plate of thumbprint cookies? I promised Cassie that I would grab some for Leroy.”

“Sure.” Together, you reentered the living room, where you set down the tray and took the plate from Scott, handing it to Cassie. People broke away from the tree to get food and more ornaments, and to hang out by the roaring fire in the fire place. 

You ended up on the couch, curled up in between Nat and Clint, as you watched everyone else work on the tree. Tony and Pepper were working side by side, their ornaments strategically placed. Jane was busy trying to explain to Thor exactly what they were doing, and when he caught on, she had to slow him down so that there was actually space for other ornaments. Wanda, Vision, and Pietro were working in tandem, hanging ornaments to complement others. Sam and Bucky were arguing like an old married couple about where they wanted to put things on the tree, and at one point Rhodey had to step in and take over. Bruce had made himself comfortable by the fire, happy to simply watch other people do their thing. Fury and Maria were keeping one wary eye on the door at all times, but still managed to eat a good deal of food from the platter. Scott and Peter were helping Cassie and Leroy put up their ornaments, often taking them off and putting them back on more securely so that they wouldn’t fall off. Coulson and Darcy were wrapped up in some debate about something, and Steve was just keeping an eye on everyone, helping where needed. 

Finally, you stood up. “Okay, time for the tree topper. Cassie?” Cassie skipped over, Leroy in one hand, a golden star in the other. 

“Will you please hold Leroy for me so that he doesn’t fall?” she implored you.

“Of course. I promise to take extra good care of him, and guard him from Pietro,” you swore solemnly.

“Hey!” Pietro shouted, although there was a good natured grin on his face. “I heard that.” You simply shrugged, laughing. 

“Cassie, who do you want to have lift you up?” you asked quietly. Cassie looked around, her father smiling as she pointed at Steve. “Steve, care to help us out?”

“Of course.” Steve knelt down. “Climb on, and put your legs on either side of my head so that I can give you a piggyback ride up.” Cassie eagerly complied, and Steve easily stood up, bringing Cassie within easy reach of the top of the tree. She set it on top, and Wanda carefully steadied it, helping the little girl slide it down onto the tree. 

“Yay!” Cassie cheered as Steve helped her down. You handed her her penguin, which Cassie held up, face turned to the tree. “Look, Leroy, we did it!” 

After Cassie had finished showing off the tree to Leroy, you quietly suggested that she go to bed “so that Santa could come and not have to worry about being seen.” Cassie agreed rather willingly, and Scott shot you a grateful look before carrying his daughter to bed. The rest of the Avengers trickled out of the room slowly, Nat pressing a kiss to your forehead before she left, and Clint and Wanda hugging you gently.

Eventually, you and Steve were the only people left awake. “You’re really into Christmas, aren’t you?

“Yeah.” You wrapped your arms around your knees and stared at the fire. “Its probably my favorite holiday. All the sweets, all the presents, all the family and friends, all the decorations, the snow…whats not to like?”

“I see your point,” Steve agreed, shooting a sidelong glance at you as you spoke. You were wedged into the corner of the couch, strands of your Y/H/C hair falling out of the ponytail you had put it into, and your Y/E/C eyes held what looked almost like sadness. “So how did you first meet Nat?

You chuckled. “In order to tell that story properly, I first have to tell you how I met Clint. I am his neighbor, and before I knew Clint, I got to know Laura pretty well. She would ask me to babysit her kids for her, and I would. Anyway, one day, I was babysitting for her, when this guy just walks in the front door, bleeding, covered in dirt, and looking exhausted. The day before, I had found a gun, hidden in a drawer. So I very calmly walked over, pulled it out, and pointed it at him. He kind of freezes, and meekly puts his hands above his head, and just then, Laura walks in. She takes one look at us, and bursts out laughing. Clint was all like, ‘stop laughing there is someone in our house pointing a gun at me,’ and I was just absolutely silent. So Laura explains that Clint is her husband, and I’m the amazing next door neighbor who babysits pretty regularly for her, and after that we got along just fine. Maybe a year later, Nat walks in, same way as Clint, I react the same way, but unlike Clint, she rolled her eyes, sighed, and then launched herself at me. Clint and Laura came in just before she punched me, and they managed to get her off of me. When all was said and done, and we knew who the other person was, we became best friends. After a while, Clint and Nat decided that I had better know everything, so that I don’t point a gun at a friend of theirs, and get killed because of it.”

Steve nodded in understanding. “That seems like something they would do.”

You shrugged. “Definitely. And its a good thing I didn’t point a gun at you, huh?” 

“Definitely,” Steve agreed. You smiled at him softly, before glancing at your watch. “Getting late?”

“Yeah. I should probably head to bed. See you in the morning?”

“Absolutely.”

You smiled wider, and stood up, pressing a gentle kiss to Steve’s cheek before fleeing the room for your own.


	7. Morning

You were the first to wake up the next morning, so on silent feet you padded down to the living room and the Christmas tree, and placed a few presents under it. Then you busied yourself working on a breakfast buffet for everyone. Bacon, pancakes, waffles, toast, eggs, sausage, french toast. And, of course, coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. You drank several cups before anyone else woke up. Steve came down, and, seeing how much coffee you had made, guided you out of the kitchen. “You really need to work on your coffee addiction,” he informed you as you both sat on the couch.

“Meh.” You shrugged, snuggling into Steve’s side as you felt the cold of the Tower for the first time that morning. “You’re like a freaking radiator.”

“Thank you?” Steve chuckled, wrapping an arm around your shoulder gently. Cassie burst in then, and squealed when she saw the presents under the tree.

“Daddy, look!” Scott rubbed some sleep out of his eyes, obviously lacking sleep from the night before. Cassie turned to her father, Leroy tucked under her arm. “Can we open them? Pretty please?”

“Why don’t we wait until everyone else is awake?” Scott bargained. Cassie pouted up at him, her eyes pleading.

“Hey Cassie, I have an idea.” Cassie turned to you excitedly. “I know how to use Tony’s speaker system. Why don’t we play some Christmas carols over it to wake everyone up? Then we can all open presents together!”

“Okay!” Cassie agreed happily. You offered her your hand, and you two walked off to choose music.

Scott and Steve stared after them. “Y/N certainly is a force to be reckoned with, isn’t she?” Scott commented. Steve nodded in silent agreement as jingle bells began blasting over the intercom.

Everyone had woken up when you and Cassie had started playing Christmas carols, and they had all been good-humored about Cassie opening presents. Besides which, everyone had received a present, which made it even more fun. 

Tony had gotten a bunch of CDs, most of which were rock n’ roll (he wanted to start blasting them immediately; Pepper had to talk him down). Pepper had gotten a set of jewelry, consisting of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings. 

Wanda had gotten a cookbook filled with Sokovian recipes (she was insistent that you help her try to make one to have with dinner). Vision had gotten a gorgeous set of encyclopedias, which fascinated him since they were books. Pietro had gotten a gift card to Road Runner (a shoe store, which was not open on Christmas day, which really annoyed him).   
Peter got a new computer, with full upgrades and accessories (he joked that it meant he wouldn’t have to dumpster dive for parts anymore). 

Jane got a new set of books on Asguardian mythology (courtesy of Thor). Thor had gotten 150 boxes of pop tarts (he ate an entire box right then and there). Darcy received a kitten, which she and Cassie were immediately enamored with, as well as a new taser (Thor wouldn’t go anywhere near her for a while after she opened it up). 

Bruce received several yoga and meditation themed books. Sam was given a small set of angel wings, almost as a joke, as well as some CDs that he had been meaning to get for a long time. Rhodey got a model plane set (which he and Cassie immediately started). 

Bucky got an iPod, complete with the latest pop songs, as well as old classics, and room for more music (he let Cassie show him her favorite songs). Steve received a brand new set of colored pencils and a sketchbook (he was also given an American flag blanket, more as a joke than anything else). 

Clint was given five new quivers, filled to the brim with arrows (he wanted to leave immediately and start firing them). Nat got a new knife, the blade obsidian in color, with a silver handle (Scott finally had to ask her to put it away, since Cassie was running around excitedly). 

Coulson received a carefully framed picture of Lola, Cassie and Leroy posed in the front seat (when he asked when it was taken, no one could answer him with a straight face. He later determined that May had brought Lola to the Tower for the sole purpose of the picture being taken. He then demanded that they take a new one soon, with him in it as well). 

Fury was given a Christmas themed eyepatch, courtesy of Cassie, who thought that he needed some holiday cheer, and reasoned that he could wear it all winter, since she had thoughtfully put snowmen on it (he put it on and refused to take it off, saying that it was the best gift he had ever received). Maria Hill had gotten a new pair of sunglasses, which could also x-ray people, access the internet, had a communication set, and show text messages sent to and from her phone, to name a few things (Tony was totally jealous). 

Scott received an ant farm (as a joke, although Cassie was happy because it meant that she could watch her daddy talk to the ants), and a book about body language titled How to Tell When You Are Being Lied To (he joked that it would come in handy as a thief). 

Once everyone had happily settled down, presents in hand, you stood up and turned to the little girl that was bouncing in her seat.

“Hey, Cassie, you ready to open your present?” you asked, a large smile on your face. Cassie nodded enthusiastically, and you waved to Nat and Wanda, who carefully set down a large box in front of the little girl. “Now, Cassie, you need to be gentle with your present, okay?”

“Okay!” Cassie pulled open the box eagerly, gasping in delight when she saw a squirming puppy inside. “Its so cute! Daddy, look!” The puppy barked, and you gently scooped it up and placed it in Cassie’s arms, where the little girl immediately buried her face in the puppy’s fur.

You discreetly pulled Scott over, murmuring, “I’m glad that this worked out.”

“You and me both,” Scott agreed with a nod. “I think that you might be her favorite person in the world right now.” You shrugged, a laugh escaping from you when you saw Cassie, her puppy, and Darcy’s kitten curled up against Darcy. “She barely slept last night she was so excited,” he confided. 

You smiled at him before making your way back to the couch, collapsing into Steve, Nat immediately curling up into you. “We have something for you, too, you know.”

“Its from all of us,” Tony said, handing you a small box. 

“You guys didn’t have to do this,” you insisted, only taking it when Tony shoved it at you. The others only stared at you with doubtful looks, and with a sigh, you tugged off the top. “Oh,” you gasped, your breath catching in your throat. Inside the box was a necklace, silver, with a blue stone in the center that almost seemed to glow. Around the edge was duller gray stone, with swirling silver etchings.

“If you need us, just pull on the three dot things stuck together on the bottom, and we’ll be there,” Bruce explained. 

“Guys, its gorgeous!” You carefully removed the necklace from the box. Nat wordlessly took it from you and fastened it around your neck. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.” You pulled the redhead into a tight hug, which you then somehow managed to get every girl in the room into. Then you hugged all the guys. “Really, I couldn’t have asked for a better gift.”

“It brings out your eyes,” Pepper commented, admiring their handiwork. You grinned at her. 

“Oh! I made breakfast. Everything is in the kitchen, so it should still be pretty warm,” you recalled. Almost immediately, there was a stampede towards the kitchen. You were about to follow them when Steve grabbed your wrist gently.

“Could I talk to you for a minute? In private?”


	8. Mistletoe

You stared at Steve with worry. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, no, everything is fine,” Steve hurried to reassure you. “No, its just that I have something I need to talk to you about.”

You smiled comfortingly at him and sat down on the couch, patting it. Steve followed suit. “What is it?”

Steve didn’t reply for several long moments. You could feel the worry rising through your body, even as the clinking of dishes and sounds of laughter came from the kitchen. Finally, he sighed, and said, “I just…I need to tell you that…this is hard for me to say, but…”

“I’m sorry if I overstepped any boundaries,” you began immediately. “I know that I’m a new face, and I’ve done a lot of new things with you guys this year, and I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, I just-”

“What?” Steve interrupted you. “No, no, you don’t need to apologize! This year’s celebration was so much more fun thanks to you! All of the decorating, all together like family, all of the food, it was all so much fun! And it was something that we had never done before!”

“Oh.” You looked at Steve from under your eyelashes. “Is that…what you wanted to tell me?”

“No,” Steve admitted. “I…What I’m trying to say is…Jeez, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

“What is?” you asked gently.

“I like you,” Steve blurted suddenly. “As more than a friend.”

You stared at Steve in shock, your Y/E/C eyes wide. Steve stared back at you, his eyes full of worry. “I like you, too,” you finally said.

“You what?”

“I like you as more than a friend, too,” you repeated.

“You…you do?” Steve searched your eyes for any sign that you were lying.

“Steve,” you said in exasperation, “you are literally the definition of the perfect guy!” When you saw his look of confusion, you sighed, and thought out the best way to explain what you meant. “You are kind, considerate, you don’t push boundaries that have been set, and if no boundaries have been set, then you set your own, and respect them. You don’t take liberties, you’re great with kids, you think with your head and your heart instead of…other…organs that some men think with.”

“Oh.”

You laughed at the look on Steve’s face. “Steve, you are a sweetheart, and anyone who doesn’t think that you’re the definition of the perfect guy is an idiot.”

“Oh,” Steve said again. “Thanks, I guess?”

You smiled. “You’re welcome.” It was then that you realized how close the two of you were sitting, and Steve seemed to realize it at the same time you did.

“May I-”

Whatever Steve was about to say was cut off by Cassie, who burst in, her puppy running straight for the Christmas tree as she clutched Leroy under one arm. “Puppy, come on! We need to eat breakfast! There’s bacon!” You laughed and stood up off the couch as Steve did the same.

“Cassie, try and get her to run in that way,” you instructed, stepping over so that you were blocking the tree from the puppy.

“Okay!” Cassie hurried to do as you asked, and the puppy ran straight into Steve’s arms. He picked her up quickly, and handed her to Cassie, careful to maneuver her so that Leroy and the puppy wouldn’t clash.

“Try to be careful, Cassie,” he reminded her. “Puppies are fragile sometimes.”

“Okay, Steve,” she said joyfully. You knelt in front of Cassie.

“Have you decided what you’re going to name her yet?” Cassie shook her head. “Okay. Why don’t you think about what you want to name her while we eat?”

“Okay!” You watched Cassie hurry back into the kitchen with both the puppy and the stuffed penguin before you turned to Steve, a small smile on your face.

“Erm, you want to go get breakfast?” you asked awkwardly.

“Breakfast would be good,” Steve agreed.

“Oh thank heavens! I was worried that Clint and Pietro would eat all of the bacon before I could get in there!” You smiled.

“I’d be more worried about Bucky,” Steve shared.

“He like bacon?”

“One of his favorite foods,” Steve confided.

“Well then what are we waiting for?” You practically sprinted for the kitchen. By the time Steve got there, you had claimed all but three pieces of bacon, and were piling other foods onto your plate.

Steve took the last pieces of bacon before anyone else could, and took a seat next to you. He had to bite back a laugh when you reached across the table and snagged Scott’s mug, drained it, and put it back before he noticed. When he went to take a sip and realized it was empty, he stared at it in confusion as the rest of the table broke out laughing.

“What happened to my coffee?” he asked suspiciously.

“That would be Y/N,” Sam spoke up.

“She steals people’s coffee if they aren’t careful,” Bucky said. “You have to keep a close eye on your coffee, or she’ll steal it right out of your hands.”

“She did that to me the other day,” Pietro chimed in.

“She what,” Scott repeated in a deadpan voice.

“I went into the living room with a cup of coffee and she stole it right out of my hands,” Pietro recalled.

“So you’re a coffee thief?” Scott verified.

“I do so hate that phrase,” you sighed, taking a sip from a mug that clearly was not yours.

“Thats not your mug,” Tony pointed out. “Thats Steve’s mug.” The flag on the outside of the mug was a dead giveaway.

You shrugged. “Maybe it is.” You turned to Steve. “Good job. There’s a lot less sugar in this than there was the last time I tried your coffee.”

“I took your advice,” Steve replied. “Although I have to say, I think I like it a lot better with more sugar, so today is the last day that there is less than a full spoonful of sugar.” You snorted and shared a glance with Nat, before you burst out laughing.

“A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down,” Nat sang, and you both laughed even harder.

“Really guys?” Clint sighed. “Mary Poppins? Again?”

You leveled your gaze at Clint. “You know you love Mary Poppins.”

“Only as much as a guy can love a movie that he has been forced to watch hundreds upon thousands of times,” Clint replied.

“So, basically, more than you can imagine,” Nat pointed out.

“I’m so done with all of you,” Clint sighed. “I wish I was at home with Laura and the kids.”

“Yeah, me too. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with the platinum silver speedster trying to steal bacon from my plate before I caught him,” you announced, pinning your eyes on Pietro.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Pietro cried. “Its all Wanda! She just wants you to think its me!”

“Pietro, I’m a vegetarian,” Wanda pointed out.

“Oh yeah,” Pietro managed. He gave you a charming smile. “Well, I didn’t get any, so no harm done, right?”

“Actually, I’m missing two pieces of bacon,” you informed him. “So yeah, there was harm done.”

“I didn’t take it!” Pietro cried.

“Then who did?”

Pietro managed to meet your eyes for a total of three seconds before he caved in. “It was Steve! He took your bacon!”

You turned in your seat to face Steve. “You stole my bacon?!”

“Steve loves bacon,” Bucky told you. “He can’t get enough of the stuff. If we have to hide the cookies from Clint and the coffee from you, then we have to hide the bacon from Steve.”

“You said he was the bacon thief!” you yelled at Steve.

“Sorry,” he said, although he didn’t look sorry at all.

The rest of the meal passed relatively uneventfully, and eventually everyone began to trickle back into the living room. Finally, it was just you and Steve, stuck doing the dishes.

“I’m sorry I stole your bacon,” Steve said to you before you could go to join the others.

“Its alright,” you assured him.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Because it means that I can steal this.” Before Steve could ask what you were talking about, you pushed yourself up onto your tiptoes and pressed your lips against his.

He waited just a moment before he wrapped his arms around your waist and pushed back against you, his lips warm and soft against yours. After a few minutes, you both managed to break away, but stayed wrapped in one another’s arms, breathing heavily.

“That was even better than I thought it would be,” Steve sighed, his forehead pressed against yours.

“You thought about kissing me?” you asked quietly.

“More than I should have,” Steve admitted.

You hummed softly. “I don’t know. I thought about kissing you an awful lot.”

“Is that so?” Before Steve could kiss you again, Nat came into the kitchen.

“Cassie’s figured out what to name her puppy,” she announced, before she processed what she was seeing.

“Nat, I, uh, I-”

“Finally!” Nat exclaimed. “I thought you two would never get together!” She glanced at her watch. “And I was right! It happened before 9 AM. Clint owes me twenty dollars!”

“You bet on us?” you screeched.

“Oops.” Nat smiled at you, and promptly spun on her heel and sprinted out of the kitchen.

“Natasha Romanoff, I’m going to get you!” You sprang out of the kitchen, careening around the living room after Nat, who was trying to lose you by vaulting over people and furniture, and people on furniture. Clint was laughing like crazy, and you snarled, “Shut it, Barton. You’re next.”

Clint promptly shut his mouth, and Nat finally stopped as you backed her into a corner. “Y/N, sweetheart, come on, it was just a joke, nothing was actually going to come of it,” she tried to argue. “I’ll split it with you, fifty-fifty.”

You stopped. “Fine. Fifty-fifty.” Nat smiled at you, and you smiled back, pulling her into a quick hug before turning to Cassie. “I hear that you have decided what you’re going to name your puppy.”

“Yep!” Cassie nodded excitedly. “I’m gonna name her after the pretty green plant on the ceiling!”

You nearly choked on your own saliva. “You’re going to name her Mistletoe?”

“Uh-huh!” Cassie said happily. “She’s just as pretty as Mistletoe!”

“Well, now, that is a very lovely name,” you agreed finally, shooting a warning glare at Nat. “You want to try and teach her how to sit when you tell her to?” Cassie nodded excitedly and you followed her, the puppy, and Leroy out of the room, sharing a shy smile with Steve as you did. 

Several hours later, Cassie and Mistletoe were all worn out, and everyone had more or less drifted off to do their own thing. You and Steve had curled up together on the couch, your head nestled comfortably on his shoulder. “Its an interesting name Cassie chose for her puppy,” Steve commented, both of you gazing at the Christmas tree and the roaring fire beside it.

“Yeah. I’m half convinced that Nat was the one behind the naming. It is a pretty name though.” You turned so that you were looking at Steve. “I’m glad that this holiday worked out.”

“Which part of it?”

“All of it. The decorating, getting everyone here, the presents, the celebration, the food,” your voice trailed off slightly, “you.”

“Oh, so I’m an essential part of your holiday now, am I?” Steve teased.

“Shut up,” you laughed, pushing him gently. “Yeah, you are.”

Steve smiled down at you. “Well then its a good thing that you’re an essential part of my holiday, too.”

You grinned and stretched out across the couch, your head in Steve’s lap. “Can you imagine what this Christmas would have been like if you hadn’t needed Clint for some stupid mission?”

“A lot less amazing than it turned out,” Steve said, smiling at the expression of happiness on your face. “I’m glad it was me who went to get Clint, and not someone else.”


End file.
